


The Devil’s Water

by ThirteenSocks



Series: Treason [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: 90’s Witch AU, Focus: Lance (Voltron), M/M, Viewpoint: Lance (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-15
Updated: 2019-02-19
Packaged: 2019-09-19 18:45:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17007135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThirteenSocks/pseuds/ThirteenSocks
Summary: Five friends get gifted stones that grant them the ability to control a facet of nature. It seems like a gift, until it doesn’t. Their leader, Shiro, keeper of the sky, starts to fade away and it’s clear someone, or something, wants him out of the picture.  Lance finds himself the only one able to keep his memories of Shiro.Lance, who’s always struggled with his confidence, finds that Shiro being gone allows him to be all he’s dreamed of. He can be all Shiro ever was.But when the last of Shiro’s existence hangs in the balance, Lance has to make the choice to fight whatever force is taking Shiro away or join them and gain everything he’s ever wanted.





	1. To the Devil’s Water

”Nose goes,” his brother calls out while rushing to the bathroom door.

”Hey, that’s not fair.”

His brother plasters his back to the door, pointer finger pressed tight against the tip of his nose. He blows a raspberry and maneuvers his way into the bathroom. The lock clicks before Lance can grab the handle.

”Hurry up or I’m gonna find a bottle in your room to pee in.” The only response is the rush of water from the tub’s faucet. Lance bangs a fist against the door but his brother remains silent.

He turns back down the hallway to his room. It was Veronica’s, before she left for NASA training. Before that he shared with his older brother, the one currently in the bathroom. Usually his alarm wakes him. He has to set it for three times, though, because he’s not a morning person, but with a full house like this he needs to wake up before the others if he wants any time to get ready for school. He slept through all three alarms today because he was up so late.

He gets changed knowing there’s no way to squeeze in a shower before breakfast. When he puts the necklace on he tucks it carefully beneath his collar. It’s warm against his chest and glowing blue through the cotton of the polo. He closes his eyes and breaths deep and steady. He concentrates. The energy in his body is drawn to the amulet and he redirects it to flow through him and into the room. If he can’t calm down then he’ll have to wear a sweater to hide the glow.

Lance tunes into the water. The shower is running, the washer is washing, and downstairs someone is getting water from the sink. Focusing on the shower he works with the water to make it cold. His brother shrieks and Lance chuckles before letting go of his hold, allowing the water to come out hot again. He moves attention to the washer. The churning is an interesting sensation but it feels too stuffy, too enclosed, and it’s making him queasy. He attempts to follow the water from the sink, to try and see if he can figure out what breakfast is, but he’s too tired to maintain focus on anything but larger sources of water.

It’s all still new to him, the coven and the abilities granted by the conduit. Which is why he’s set to train with Shiro after school. The man has intuited so much, much more than than any of the five. It makes sense being as he’s the one who found the conduits. Though no matter how many times Lance asks, Shiro refuses to speak about how he got them.

There’re five of them in the coven. It’s tiny, but was less their choice than it was the circumstances of their gathering. 5 conduits of the factions of nature were given to them by Shiro, one for atmosphere and stars, one for pulse and the energy of the universe, one for nature itself, one for the planet and the solid foundations, and one for the sea and the lifeblood of living creatures. They’re witches of a different craft unsure as to even why, and as to what made them find the amulets in the first place.

Lance holds a hand over the crystal, strung around his neck by a thin but sturdy metal chain. It responds to his touch with its usual blue hum of light. Its gentle to match the otherwise darkness of the room. The only other light source being his digital-read alarm clock, it’s green numbers taunting him to get ready for school. He wants to enjoy the peace while it lasts, because his sister will come back from college for the summer. Then he’s back to sharing with two of his brothers.

”Lance,” his mom calls all the way from downstairs. She yells a lot, what with such a busy household to rangle in. He knows it to mean, ”Come down here for breakfast, or there won’t be any by the time you get here.”

He throws on a polo shirt and black pants, his Nikes, the pair he saved up for by working all summer, are waiting down by the front door for him, and his signature windbreaker is on the coatwrack. Grabbing his backpack, and mentally checking off his list, he rushes down the stairs.

”Morning, Mama,” he kisses her cheek and slides into a chair at their table, bag slipping off his shoulder and eased onto the floor, ”Is it my turn to say grace?”

His mother, all 5 feet and 2 inches of her, seems to disapprove. Seriously. Even her feet have the posture of disappointment. But she tuts and laughs, muttering a quip in Spanish, and calls for the rest of the family to get settled in.

It’s strange for Lance, as he bows his head and leads the morning grace over breakfast, because he can’t say he’s entirely religious. At least, not as he tunes into the thrumming sensation that the amulet causes in his chest, he can’t really say he’s catholic. But he doesn’t rule out possibilities.

The meal is less a meal than it is a social gathering.

For once, though, Lance is content to tend to his own thoughts.

After school on Friday, he’s finally going to take Keith, his rival, on. Lance has been training hard. Whenever and wherever he can, he’s tapped into the thrumming. He feels and communes with the water around him. From trees, to rain, to a bath, he breathes into the motion. Keith is fire. He’s loud and energetic and quick. Lance wants to use that energyagainst him. He wants to wipe that smug look off Keith’s face, which will find itself planted in the dirt.

Lance hopes to finally prove that hard work means more than innate talent.

As he’s heading out the door his mom pulls him aside to ask if he’s ok. She noticed him being quiet. Which is silly, he thinks, he’s not sure how she keeps track of so many people, but she does. And so he reassures her and then starts his walk down to the busstop.

Hunk is there, to his relief. The last thing he needs is more quiet.

”Yo, ’sup, dog,” Lance extends his hand out to begin the first step of their many step handshake.

”Yo. Hey, man, so like. How’s it goin’? Y’know, with, the whole-,” Hunk taps the place where his amulet rests beneath his shirt, ”- thing going?”

Lance gestures his head towards the small group of people around them, then draws his hand across his throat to signal for Hunk to stop right there.

”Oh, right. Yeah, that’s probably better,” Hunk fishes into his bag for his walkman and earbuds, ”Pidge made this rad mixed c.d., got some pumping up music, think we should listen on the way there.”

”Fine, but you’re holding it upright so it doesn’t skip.” He doesn’t mean to be snippy, but he’s not so much a morning person.

Hunk, for his part, takes it in stride.

Lance jams out, wiggling his body to the music, as much as he can in his seat. He’s working on the homework he didn’t get done last night. Occassionally he stops to tell Hunk something about the assignment, to which Hunk just shrugs or nods. Of all of them, he’s the only one in advanced English.

He watches out the window, long stretches of pumpkin orange and candy apple red leaves make the scene look its livliest. He wants to be out there, feeling the surge of energy from the cool rain as it drips upon the foliage. It’s motivation enough to know the whole town is wet. There won’t be a place they’ll go where Lance doesn’t have the advantage. He’s trained hard. He’s sat upon their porch, settled upon the rackety, old chair whose fabric’s print is faded from sun exposure and moisture and narrowed his focus into singular droplets of water. The rush of falling, and colliding with the courner of his roof, was thrilling. Lance is going to use that explosion, the explosion and division as the drop clipped the edge and multiplied, to finally take Keith.

Breathing the excitement down he finishes the essay in time to pack up before the bus drops them off at the school.

Pidge is waiting for them, waving her arms wildly. There’s an umbrella in one of her hands and a rolled up paper in her other. She notices only after the paper begins its journey to becoming wet. As if they didn’t see her, all 5 feet and stark yellow in her raincoat, she yells at them to come over.

”Yo, so my dad packed the good shit today. I tried telling him I’m not 7, and my good grades don’t need any fanfare-,” she hands the paper over to Lance, who doesn’t really want to unroll it, ”-but, c’mon, fruit by the foot? Hell yes, I’m gonna take it,” she shimmies her bag to one shoulder and then in front of her, unzipping her bag to reveal four of the snacks, in all their shiny, faux metallic packaged glory. Before Lance can say ”thanks,” she huffs and snatches the paper back. ”Ugh, drama queen. I got 105 on the AP calc exam.”

Hunk whistles. ”Ok, but, that’s definetly roll-up worthy. I can see where your dad is coming from.”

”Yeah, yeah. Well, as long he doesn’t pull this in college. I swear if he mails me gushers every time I do well, I’m gonna need those shiny A’s to pull a job with comprehensive dental.”

Lance tucks it into his pocket. ”As if the universities don’t already have your name on file, waiting to send you those scholarship letters.”

”Waiting?” Pidge snorts and whacks him on the shoulder, ”I have a whole drawer full at home. Yale and Harvard are probably the majority of it, actually. Like, I’ve been getting their shit since Freshman year.”

They walk together, chatting so loudly that a person shushes them. To which Pidge just barks out a witty retort.

She used to be bullied a lot. Lance barely knrw her from the periphrials of his attention, always the first to answer in class, often correcting the teacher. She was pretty callous. In some ways still is. But he’s noticed her open up more, and take up more space, since they’ve formed the coven. Hunk and her talk science and math. She and him make jokes. She doesn’t get on with Keith too well, both having their own awkwardness, but the school associates the three with him, meaning anyone who has a bone to pick with her fears they’ll first have to pick it with Keith.

And No one wants to pick it with Keith.

The three split up, Hunk and Pidge off to their shared physics class, and Lance heads over to the track for p.e. Though he hopes the rain will see it cancelled or moved inside at least, he knows better than expect any lax from coach Iverson.

He jogs from the bottom of the hill, across the football field, and to the track. They may be a small town, but their atheletes move on to top colleges.

As expected, Iverson is already barking at a student, tweeting from that small whistle that makes anything but small noises. Physical education coach on Mondays and Wednesdays, and military recruitor every time slot but. He was medically discharged after taking a nasty blow that blinded him in one eye, and broke several bones.

”McClain, get yer bony butt over here,” which everyone knows he’s always just one slip up from either actually cursing, or else treating the students like they’ve already been recruited.

”But it’s raining,” he tries.

Iverson squints and Lance wonders if he can even see much by doing it. And nearly says as much. Iverson looks like he can read the retort off Lance’s face and that’s damn enough for Lance to pull over a mat and begin stretching.

Keith arrives late. Which is to say on time. ”Sorry, the bus broke down.” He lives too far from town to take the school bus. Something that’s always been a relief for Lance. Lance doesn’t need to get any mark ups for fighting. And he knows Keith can’t afford any either. It’s perhaps the one area where they’ve agreed to cooperate on. In school at least.

Magic not withstanding, of course. Lance sends raindrops down Keith’s pants. Keith nearly falls over in his stretch. Serves him right though, for strolling in late and showing off with how bendy he is. The man thrives on attention and spotlight.

Iverson has them run the track.

A few kids slip even with the grip design on the track. Lance doesn’t  have room to pay them attention any more than to dodge them, to not let them break his concentration or propulsion. All chill of the morning is being worked off, the strain and pull of muscles causing a heat that’s burning from head to toe. As if a race horse, he’s blind to all else but what’s in front of him, but who’s in front of him. It’s only Keith and him out here. Keith is ahead, but only barely. 

Lance feels the sweat begin to form. The sweat is sticky down his back. It’s contrasted by the rain which is rinsing it from his skin. He knows water. It’s his element. It’s what hangs around his neck. It’s what his life has come down to a focal point at. Lance knows water. And he knows Keith isn’t sweating. But Lance is. It propels him further.

The two pass by the students who had fallen. The lap having being a blur to Lance. His feet strike violent against the ground and the ground shoves back with electricity shooting from ankle to thigh bone. But no matter how hard he’s throwing himself into the sprint, Keith is ahead.

Except now Keith’s gaining speed. He’s getting further and further away, as Lance tires more and more. Lance is always in Keith’s dust. Lance works hard, but that hard work can only keep him in that dust. Any momentary lapse in speed, focus, or determination means Lance is left behind, entirely.

The electricity buzzing in his legs is growing wilder.

Keith is still further away.

Lance growls, squeezing his eyes tightly for a moment, taking one slow, precious moment, so that he won’t lose it.

Keith is halfway to lapping him now.

And then he does lap Lance.

Lance has to stop to catch his breath and finishes 5th.

 

* * *

 

Lance meets with Shiro after school.

Shiro coaches the little league team so he says it’s no trouble to help Lance. He keeps his timer and clipboard with and tracks Lance as he does push-ups and crunches and sprinting.

”Everything go ok, today?” Shiro asks as Lance strains through a chin-up.

”Just-,” He wheezes and huffs,”-Fine.”

Shiro doesn’t look convinced but he doesn’t press it. Lance enjoys that about him.

”Ok, just remember that you’re only competing against yourself.”

Lance enjoys that too, Shiro’s not much older but he’s sagely in wisdom.

Shiro tells Lance that he’s been working hard and showing improvement and that Shiro is proud of him, as he tallies up the scores on the clipboard. It’s a swift knock delivered to his gut. Lance hasn’t told Shiro the reason he’s been training. He hasn’t found the nerve to tell Shiro that he’s trying to beat Keith.

Lance has watched Shiro’s face grow soft at the mention of Keith, watched the smile pull his cheeks up and curve his gaze, and he’s watched the feverish stolen kisses when those two think they’re alone.

Lance can’t do that to Shiro.

He avoids the topic of Keith around the man as much as he is able to. Even when Shiro’s watch beeps and he makes an excuse about needing to go home but there’s a distance in his eyes and a swipe of his tongue and Lance just knows that there’s a reason Shiro’s truck smells the way it does.

”You did great out there today, Lance. I’ve never met a harder worker,” He claps Lance on the back and there’s nothing but honesty and genuine focus in his eyes.

It stings. 

It stings because it’s true. Because that’s the problem. He works hard and harder and no amount of work brings him to where he wants to be. It stings because Shiro knows Keith, Shiro loves Keith, and there’s no way that Keith won’t always be included in any list Shiro makes. Shiro knows Keith and it’s Lance that’s the harder worker. That stings.

”Yeah, man. Thanks, dude. I’m gonna leave everyone in my dust and then you’ll be grateful you knew me,” Lance puffs up his chest. ”I should give you an autograoh now. Maybe a couple.”

Shiro looks ready to say something cheesy like, ’But I’m already grateful,’ and it’s so gross and way more than Lance can handle. It’s any wonder how he’s so popular for how uncool he is. It’s honestly the best quality about him. Shiro doesn’t do anything for glory or recognition. Lance looks up to him because of that. Because Shiro is Shiro and he’s only concerned with being his best self and loving other people.

”Ugh, gross, quit it.”

Mischiefiv dances in his eyes, ”I have no idea what you’re talking about.” That fucker has every idea on exactly what Lance is talking about.

”Don’t you have a meeting with Keith?”

”Yeah, I- Hey, wait, I never- I mean. What, no, not with Keith. I just gotta... run errands.”

By which he means Keith and the running is running Keith into the floor on the backseat bench. Yuck. But also, fuck, he didn’t mean to say that.

”Ah, right. I must’ve misheard earlier. Totally lame,” he points finger guns and makes accompanying click noises with his tongue. ”Anyways, let’s take me home and then you can run those errands.”

Shiro recovers quickly and they climb into his truck. Lance cranks the radio up and his mood is lifted as his jams play through the blown-out, worn-out speakers of Shiro’s baby. He bobs along to the song, dancing as best he can while buckled up in his seat. Shiro sings along with an unfairly good voice. The tension gets lost somewhere in the beat.

Shiro drops him off and sends him in with a smile. ”The group is meeting tomorrow at 7pm.” The codeword for the coven is ”the group”. They all suspect their parents wouldn’t be happy to know they’re witches, or whatever it is they are.

When the front door is shut and the chugging of the engine is distant is when Lance wonders what Shiro sees in Keith and what Keith’s done to deserve someone like Shiro.

* * *

 

Lance settles down at his desk and removes all his textbooks to lay them down on it. He’s hoping to get into a good college and being in the regular classes won’t impress any application judge. He starts with math. The concepts are just beyond his reach, and he’s found it better to just study for test taking than to try and grapple with the whys behind what he’s doing. Even then he ends up dialing Hunk for help.

The phone is cradled between his shoulder and the side of his face as Hunk launches into explanations. It’s over his head but he refuses to tell Hunk that. He figures he’ll get help from Shiro tomorrow; when the man isn’t doing the hanky-panky with Keith. The conversation drifts to their days.

Hunk talks about an upcoming robotics competition. ”It’ll look great on my resume,” he says.

Lance hums. ”Have you decided what you’re gonna do?”

”Well I’m thinking of something like aerunatuical engineering. You know like NASA, dude. That’d be sweet. But like, I’m not sure if I’m smart enough, ya feel?”

It manages to get a chuckle from Lance. Hunk is one of the smartest people he knows. He just lacks the confidence. Maybe it’s because people underestimate him, whether because of his skin color or his weight Lance isn’t sure. Probably both. ”No, dude. I don’t. You could be literally anything you wanted. NASA is gonna be begging you to accept a job there. Just you wait,” he hums a bit and doodles around what would’ve been notes for the math homework. 

”Yeah well, Pidge and I are gonna apply together. I love her, she’s rad. But like, yikes, that’s major competish’.”

”Ugh do you know how annoying it’s gonna be to have both of my friends be rocket scientists?”

”Yeah, ok. But really, thanks, y’know, for the vote of confidence. Hey, what about you? Where’re you headed?”

He stills the pen on the paper. The sparkling neon ink from the gellyroll pen leaves an angry, vibrant mark. Man, and that was his good Lisa Frank journal. ”Pft, and ruin the surprise? I’m not telling you. You might lose that confidence again.”

Lance shuts the notebook and the pink, spotted leopard on the cover seems to give him a look of disapproval.

”Alright, then. Mr. Man-of-mystery,” he pauses, ”Do you think we’ll still have these by then?” Hunk doesn’t need to elaborate for Lance to know he’s talking about the conduits. It puts a wrench in their plans if they still have them. There’s no way Lance could make it into a rocket science school, and it’s not like they can be separated while dealing with- with whatever it is they’re dealing with.

He lets Hunk ramble on about the possibilities of what could happen. They talk away until Lance’s mom calls up the stairs for him to come set the table.

* * *

 

He falls asleep that night feeling the same buzz of electricity in his legs as he did out on the track.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovelies!  
> I wanted to emphasize that this fic will not be klance in the traditional sense. Keith and Lance will absolutely develop a strong bond and get to know each other but this fic is about Lance discovering that getting what you want may not always be what you need. 
> 
> I’ve fallen in love with Lance as a character and I think he deserves to be explored, for all his strengths and flaws. This fic will explore those flaws to some pretty dark places, but know that I love him and he deserves to love himself and get a happy ending.
> 
> Also writing summaries is not my forté : 3;;


	2. Drowned by the Ocean, Shot by His Own Son

Lance wakes unusually early on Saturday morning. 

Downstairs his grandma is watering the flowers and potted plants. The weatherman drones on about the forecast, ”-Day will be clear. The storm system that brought all that moisture has blown over during the night-,” Lance wants to ask if he can put on cartoons, but he doesn’t have the heart to ask. 

”Hey, Abuela,” He announces so that she won’t startle. 

”Good morning, Mijo, Would you like to help me?” She asks him in Spanish and holds out the watering can. The skin of her hands is very thin and covered in deep brown spots. Her veins are like small hills from beneath. But her grasp is firm and holds no tremor. 

”Of course.” 

When her hand is free of the tin can she pats his cheek, ”You always were a soft touch. The world needs more men like you, Mijo.” 

Does it though? 

His hands shake as he waters the plants. All he can think about is that he doesn’t need the can to do this. 

It’s a quiet morning with his grandma. The hour is too early for the rest of the house, them being too old for youthful energy, but too young to rise before the sun. It’s chores day, anyway, and Lance is happy to get a head start. The rest of the women will join him as they wake. His brothers are older and were raised back in Cuba, both a time and place where ideas of what were women’s and men’s work were much more rigid, much different. There are few reasons he’s happy to be the youngest. But abuela is right and Lance would not have done well under that pressure. 

”Why don’t we burn some spices? Go get the basket and choose.” 

He leafs through the bundles of flowers and jar of spices, raising each to his nose and smelling. He closes his eyes and tries to identify the ones he recognizes from what Shiros been teaching them. What he settles on smells warm and cozy, not unlike an apple pie or an apothecary during autumn.

He drops them into pot of water on the stove and waves his hand through the steam to smell better. It's earthy.

"Ah, you have sensed the storm too, then?"

He tries to get her to elaborate but she chuckles and pats his cheek.

"Mmm, what is that smell?" Lance's mom enters the kitchen with her hair tucked around foam rollers and face done. She's wearing the silk robe atop her ducky pajams. Its the robe that Lance and his siblings all chipped in for to get her for Christmas. "Oh, Lance, you're up early."

"Mornin', mama. Couldn't sleep so I'm getting a head start on chores." He walks over to her and  gives her a squeeze hug. The laugh she makes warms him and he dances around with her. They sway from left to right all around the kitchen until Lance accidentally bumps an apple off the counter.

"I thought you were trying to clean," his grandma shakes her head but the smile betrays any seriousness.

"Yes, m'am," the words are hard to form around the chuckles. "Ok, I'll water the plants and garden now." 

His grandma gestures him to the door with waving hands.

* * *

 

They all have lunch together and they talk about the future, how Lance is doing in school, what he wants to do.

”I don’t know, mom. Just ’cus my other friends got in doesn’t mean I’m going to.” 

He has trouble looking his mom in the eyes. His fists are balled up in his lap. It hurts. He doesn’t like thinking about what his friends can do. Keith is both smart and artistic. Pidge and Hunk are near genius and the only reason they’re in the same school is because it’s a small town. And Shiro is just Shiro. He’s everything Lance wants to be, cool, confident, and good at anything he does.

His mom still believes in him. Even though the rest of her children are equally as successful.

”Lance, don’t talk about yourself that way. You can do anything you want,” she fixes him with a stare that burns his forehead until he looks up just to relieve the scorch of it.

”Sorry, you’re right, I’m just having a hard time. I think I’m gonna go nap.”

”Lance,” his mom reaches a hand over the table and squeezes his shoulder, ”Why don’t you call your friends and see if you can’t ride your skates? You should get outside and get some sunshine.”

He picks up their plates and sets them in the sink. Before he can turn on the faucet his grandma shoos him from the kitchen and waves him toward the phone.

He dials up Shiro, figuring he’ll get both Shiro and Keith, it picks up after the third ring. ”Lance?” 

”Oh, you have caller id?” Lance wraps the cord around his index finger and holds the phone to his shoulder, ”Uh, hey, just wondering, do you wanna go and work on... uh, our project today?” Lance hears Shiro say something and Keith responds. He doesn’t want to know what they’re up to.

”Sure, I can drive. Will Pidge and Hunk be coming?”

”I haven’t called them yet. Thanks Shiro, I’ll let you know. Say hi to Keith for me.”

Shiro chuckles and politely hangs up.

Pidge and Hunk are hanging at Pidge’s, working on their robot for the robotics competition. Hunk sounds excited to get out but Pidge is harder to convince. She agrees only after confirming that all the others are going. Lance thinks she has a hard time with the idea of being left-out.

 

"Ugh, I can't believe you managed to drag me here," Pidge stretches wide to the tip top of her toes and makes groaning noises as she pulls her head to each side.

Lance snorts, "Oh no, the outdoors. Horrible." He accompanies it with sticking out his tongue. He likes messing with Pidge. Pidge gives as she gets but it's always fun.

Hunk points out that she did agree to it, while he slings an arm around Lance's shoulder.

They banter from the car and into forest. Lance is glad he got out.

 

"Ok, hold up team," Shiro raises his palm low and looks all around them. His brow is drawn together as he does so. His head is moving too quickly for him to be taking in the sights, or to be seeing anything through the trees. Whatever he's looking for, Lance can't begin to guess.

Hunk whispers in Lance's ear, "Uh, what's he doing?"

Lance shrugs. 

"Quiet." Keith bites.

It's frustrating. He's not sure why things with him and Keith are always so tense and sour. What did he ever do to Keith? The boy is an enigma and Lance just wants to know what he can do to figure Keith out, because he wants to and because it's gonna make things hard if they continue like this. He supposes he'll need to swallow his pride and ask Shiro how he does it.

"Shiro?" Keith asks softly.

That breaks Shiro out of whatever had his interest so tightly because he blinks and turns to Keith with a tender smile and apology. Then turns to Lance and the others, "I was thinking we'd search for herbs today.

"Where did you learn all this?” Lance asks.

"I- I don't really know. My memory.. it's gone- Keith, why don't you go with Lance?”

"Betchya I'll find them first.” Lance taunts Keith.

"C'mon-”

"No, you come on!”

"Alright you two!” Shiro gets between them and pulls them apart.

* * *

 

They work quietly for awhile, picking the herbs.

”Keith, I-” Lance looks to Keith, who is bent over and cutting a stem off with the pocket knife he always carries, responds with a soft noise, ”Listen, I’m sorry. I don’t know why... I don’t know why we- I always end up turning things into a fight.”

Keith rises up and turns to face Lance, stuffing the knife in his back pocket and cradling the plant in an open palm. The afternoon light that’s breaking through the gaps in the leaves is shining brilliant in Keith’s eyes. His head is titled slightly and those strong brows are pushing together the skin between them.

Lance can’t blame him for being guarded and surprised. Suspicious, even.

Keith speaks with the same care that he’s treating Lance with, ”I.. I don’t know what your problem is.” 

”My problem?” He snaps before the words can run through his head, before he can change them or keep them in altogether. They spew out with the reflex that happens when the doctor strikes your knee with that tool.

”Yeah, your- Forget it. Let’s just get this over wit-”

”Keith, wait, no. Please,” again with the reflexes, Lance is by Keith’s side, hand around the other’s bicep, before his body can ask his brain, ”You’re right. I’m sorry. It was.. Habit.”

Keith moves his gaze toward Lance’s hand. It prepares Lance for it to be swatted away, but that never comes. Instead Keith tenatively lifts his hand and unsure fingers land soft on Lance’s.

As Lance watches he wonders why Keith looks so confused at the hand. Why Keith hasn’t removed it. Why his fingers are resting on Lance’s.

More than that he wonders about why his own heart is seizing in his chest. When had he stopped breathing? Why is his palm sweating against Keith’s arm? Why does he feel the swell of energy lumping in his stomach urging him to step in, take hold of both shoulders, and walk Keith against a tree-

”Yeah, me too.” Keith gently pries Lance’s hand off and crouches back down to cut more of what he’d found.

For the first minute Lance can’t seem to move.

Shock.

Then shame.

”I’m going to check by the lake,” he stumbles away and to the water.

He sinks to his knees at the bank and douses his face with ice cold water cupped in his hands. 

It stings against the burning skin of his cheeks. But it’s better than following the thoughts he was having back there. If he believed more, he’d pray to God to cleanse the water so he could baptize this from his mind. A sickness rolls in him as he sees Keith and Shiro in his head, Shiro taking a Keith who is bent over cheek buried into the wet soil of the forest. He understands now why pain and anger boil in his veins everytime he sees them. Everytime he imagines them. Lance spits the bile into the river and wills the ache to wash away with it.

 

”Hey, uh, guys,” Hunk’s voice sounds through foliage, ”I don’t remember this being here.”

Lance places the rest of the herbs inside the basket and glances to Keith. Keith nods towards the direction of Hunk’s voice and Lance slings the basket into the crook of his elbow. Keith parts the branches and holds them, allowing Lance fo duck through before him.

Hunk is standing with Shiro and Pidge in tow.

”Is that...?” Keith starts but trails off.

When Lance sees it he understands. ”A mine?” Sure enough, a tall wooden arc curves around the entrance to Earth that is cleared into. Words are carved into it. Though some have faded, what remains says, ’...a min..s’.

Pidge reads it aloud, ”He’s not wrong. Something, a... mines? I didn’t know we were a mining town. Shiro?”

Shiro looks pale despite the clearing allowing the sun to shine freely down. He smoothes a hand over his right arm. ”We’re not. I was a boyscout and I know these woods.”

Silence falls upon them like a thick fog. Eerie is the ghost not vanished by sunlight, his grandama would say.

”I’m going in.”

”No, you’re no- Keith, get back-” Shiro tries but Keith has already bolted into the mine, ”here. Shit. Ok, team, we can’t leave him in there.”

”Uh, uhm, Shiro, a creepy mine that you’re sure was not here before is suddenly here and you want us to go in? I think I’ll wait out here.”

Pidge smacks Hunk’s shoulder and puffs up as tall as she can. Which still means Hunk is craning his neck. ”Oh no you’re not. You drug me out here. And come on, this is so worth having to skip the project for.”

Lance can’t say he feels more confident than Hunk going into the mines. But Keith is stupid and will get himself killed if left alone in there. Besides that Lance can read the desperation on Shiro’s face; he’s thinking the same. Lance can’t let Shiro down like that.

He sets down the basket.

”I’m not letting you go in alone,” he steps up beside Shiro and flashes him two thumbs up. 

When Pidge stands with them they all turn to Hunk. He’s scared, but not heartless.

So all four of them head inside.

The air is still. The only sound is that of their footsteps patting the ground and echoing through the rock. It’s empty. But not just of people, which Lance expects of the pop-up mine, but any life. There are no insects, no worms crawling through the muddy ground, no mosquitoes buzzing past, nothing. Yet beneath that void is a quiet humming of energy that’s gentle through his veins.

”Hunk, why don’t you take a listen? You’ve been improving rapidly lately. Just do it like I showed you out at the alcove, ya?” Shiro smiles at Hunk and it’s so honest and genuine.

I wanna be like you, Lance thinks as he watches the courage ignite on Hunk’s face. I want to lead people like you do. I want to be calm like you are. I want to be loved like people love you.

That murmur of energy fizzles out.

Hunk rolls his shoulders back and forward and then stretches each arm across his chest while holding it with the opposite one. He even rubs his hands together warming them. Then he makes his way to the ground and plants his palms down. His eyes close.

Lance never thought about warming up before tapping into water. He wonders if it could help.

He moves close to Shiro. Shiro seems to be watching Hunk, whether he can feel the earth too, Lance doesn’t know. The nagging feeling of that energy Lance felt makes him speak. ”Did you feel that?”

Shiro takes a moment to orient to Lance. Still his eyes look far away.

”When we came in here I felt, like, an energy, or something. It was like... a buzzing.”

”I... Yeah, there’s... I feel it too.”

”Hey guys can we chat later? I’m trying to concentrate,” Hunk grumbles, ”Ah, wait, I feel Keith. He’s- Actually, just follow me.”

”After you, then,” Shiro bows and extends a hand.

Lance hesitates to leave the last part of the light streaming in. However cold it felt outside there’s a chill radiating from deeper in the mine. But Hunk moves forward, hand gliding across the wall of the cave, Shiro follows without a pause, and Pidge shortly after. So he goes too.

He listens to the padder of their feet to try and gauge the distance between each other but ends up tripping over Pidge’s foot once, and then bumping into Shiro’s back. Where Pidge falls, Shiro is barely phased. It shouldn’t surprise Lance that Shiro is so built, and solid, because the man’s muscles are well defined and large even when he isn’t flexing them. But it’s one thing to see them and a whole other to come against them.

Lance’s thoughts drop once more. I want to be muscular like you. It’s no wonder so many people fall for you. It’s no wonder you’ve managed to nab someone like Keith. I could never compete with someone like you.

They move through the place slower than Keith who had sprinted in.

He can’t help but think that it would be easier with Keith there. Keith would be able to conjure a light source for them. Lance says as much. 

”Keith’s a natural.”

In the darkness at least he can’t see Shiro’s face soften at the thought of Keith.

Pidge snorts, ”If only we had Keith to help us find Keith.”

”But then we’d already have Keith,” Hunk says, ”And we wouldn’t need to find him.” 

Pidge and Hunk have such easy banter. It’s part of what drew him to them in the first place. He never had to worry about them not liking him, because all he had to do was step back when he felt he was coming on too strongly, and they’d fill in the gap with their wit. He likes being around happy people. There’s no reason to cultivate negativity.

”Alright, but if we had a Keith, to help with the keith, who’s helping up find Keith?” Lance chimes in.

”Two Keiths? I don’t know man. I have trouble with just one.”

”Hey, Keith is.. he means well. He’s just been through a lot and it’s hard for him to open up.”

”Sorry, Shiro. I didn’t mean it like that.”

But as quiet settles in again, Lance wonders how else he could have meant it.

 

”Uh, guys-” Hunk begins to warn them as a rumble overhead sounds. It falls quicker than any of them can move to the side. Pidge shrieks as it narrows in on her. But it doesn’t land. Instead, Hunk has it levitating above. Only just. ”Pidge, buddy, can- hh, you..?”

”Oh, right,” she steps out from beneath it. It tumbles hard against the floor. 

”We need to find Keith and get out of here. Fast. Hunk?” Shiro looks to him and continues when he nods, ”Do you think you can go on ahead?”

”Oh no, no, no, no,” Lance jumps between the two, ”Shiro, I respect you, dude. But what if something happens? I mean look, the ceiling tried to take down Pidge. What if the same happens to Hunk?”

Shiro isn’t really considering this, is he?

”That’s a good point-” oh thank god, ”-Pidge, can you go with him?”

”Roger that, Major Tom.”

”How is that any better? Then we’ll lose them both! What if there’s a rock slide, huh? They’ll be trapped together.”

Shiro steps into Lance’s space slowly. His hands come down to rest firm on Lance’s shoulders. Lance wants to bolt or melt into the floor. He can feel the stares of the other two directed his way. He braces himself for the lecture to come where Shiro berates him for not doing everything he can to get Keith, something about sacrificing for the greater good.

”That is sharp strategy, Lance. With both of us on this side, if anything does happen, we can dig them out or go get help.” 

The sincerity burns him. He can’t accept the praise. Shiro just sees the good in everyone. And that’s what burns Lance.

”Yeah, ok, whatever,” Lance motions for the other two to go ahead.

* * *

 

”Something on your mind, Lance? We’re all a bit worried about you.”

That... doesn’t seem right. He wonders when they’d noticed anything. Or even if. ”This isn’t the time. Keith is somewhere down here doing who knows what, because he couldn’t not bolt in. And now Hunk and Pidge are gonna rescue his stupid butt. All while we don’t know if the ceiling is gonna hold, much less where we even are. Or why.”

Lance clicks his tongue. The echo of his voice is what lets him know he was yelling. Still, Shiro remains calm. Concerned. But calm. ”Sorry, I- sorry, I snapped.”

”You know,” Shiro maneuvers so his back is against the smoothed away rock of the walls and he slowly settles down it to rest on the floor, ”I think this is the perfect time. I’m not gonna force you to tell me, I just want you to know that you can talk about it. And right now we have nothing but time.”

”Ugh, there you go being the wise guy, again. It’s like, you always seem to know. I- That’s what I want. To know.”

He joins Shiro, stretching his legs out in front of him. The cool moisture on the rock is a sweet relief against the burning of his neck. It’s not as dark now that his eyes have adjusted.

”Y’know,” Shiro’s voice is soft but it commands attention just the same, letting his words pass unheard would be a grievance, ”I didn’t always ’know,’ either. I still don’t. Not really. But I see all the people around me struggling, trying to figure things out and I don’t want anyone to have to stumble like I did.”

”You? Stumble?” 

”You should’ve seen me. I’ve lost track of the times Iverson had to pull me into his office.”

”Yeah, yeah, very funny.”

”It’s true!” 

He can hear Pidge and Hunk talking animatedly, if faintly given their distance. 

”I feel like a fourth wheel,” Lance clenches his fists atop his thighs, ”like you guys are so much better than me. At the whole power thing and just in general. It’s like I’m holding myself back from being something, someone.”

”But you are someone. You’re Lance McClain, and we need you, as you are. Your strengths may be different but they are still valuable. A well-balanced team needs all types of people,” he chuckles like there was a joke, or maybe it’s frustration, Shiro wears even that well, ”It’s valid to feel how you do. Just- just know that I’m here, we’re all here, to help you if you need.”

”Thanks, I-,” he starts before having the words knocked out as aflash of molten, scathing pulses strikes Lance from his fingertips to his toes, and he’s to his feet as quick as the blast came. ”Shiro!” He isn’t sure why but he moves like a wave upon Shiro, crashing them both away from the spot they had sat in. A high pitched ringing is screaming in his ears distorting sound. He can just make out the screams of Hunk far ahead.

The floor that had seemed so stable prior shakes in staccatto. Building up to violent jerking and then decrescendoing to a bare movement. Gravity seems to plaster him on his hands and knees. Vision cuts in and out like the flickering of a changed channel. Barely, he sees a chunk of what’s above them part from the rock.

It somehow misses him and he feels the buzz of it graze by him. But there’s no time to celebrate. Except there is time. Too much time. He watches the boulder tumble in slow motion and come crashing down on Shiro, collapsing him prone on the ground. It rolls off him but takes with it a chunk of flesh from cheek-to-cheek, across the bridge of his nose. Blood streams down his face in tricklets and then small rivers.

”Help!” Lance screams over the ringing in his ears. 

 

He’s frozen. Shaking.

He screams again. And again. And again. 

A fire enters his vision as a small red, distant spark and then grows brighter, larger, and shifts to blue.

”Shiro!” The cry sounds mad and it takes Lance a second to realize it didn’t come from himself. The rocks melt around Keith as he hurries to Shiro’s side. ”Shiro, please. You’re gonna make it.” Keith wedges his hands beneath Shiro’s limbs and shifts Shiro over in his arms. Keith shimies Shiro in his grasp, ”I’m taking him out, find the others. Have Pidge call an ambulance.”

”Roger,” Lance finally snaps out of being frozen.

He dashes to meet the others who are already making their way towards him.

”Lance, Lance, what happened? We saw Keith-”

”Shiro, he’s- C’mon we need to get out. Pidge call 911.” 

* * *

 

”You just laid there,” Keith yells. He’s ripped off fabric from the shirt he’s wearing beneath his jacket. He’s mopping up the blood with it but it’s soaked too quickly. 

”I didn’t- It wasn’t-” 

”Shut up, I’m concentrating.”

Lance hopes the paramedics get there soon. Keith seems to think the same because draws a hand back and sets it aflame. 

”Keith, no,” Hunk dives in to grab Keith’s arm, ”You might burn his face off. You’re still new to this.” Keith yanks but Hunk holds on. ”Please.”

Pidge is walking back to join them. She’s hiccuping through tears and clutching her thin, square phone in her hand. ”He’s- I feel him. He’s alive. Keith, don’t. Please, please you’ll burn his face off.”

Keith releases the flame and it fizzles into the air.

”The ambulance says they’ll be here in about 5 minutes. My reception isn’t good- I sent a text to my mom. She called. She says they said to try and keep pressure on the wound. And check his pulse but- He’s here. It’s ok. It’ll be ok. It’s ok.” 

Hunk and Pidge look to him. They must know how hard he’s biting his tongue. He didn’t try to be useless, there was something in there, that energy, that kept him from moving.

Shiro is loaded into the ambulance and Keith follows behind. The paramedics try to keep him behind but Keith insists they’re brothers. When they express doubt he snaps, ”What we don’t all look the same, ok. Now please, he’s my brother. Please.” And the back of it shuts, Keith and all.

The noise of the sirens clear but his heart is still hammering.

”My mom’s coming,” Pidge nearly whispers but the space around them is suddenly quiet and it’s not hard to hear. ”I felt something back there.”

”Me too,” Hunk says.

”I didn’t just stand around. Whatever that was, it.. It held me down.” He thinks so at least. He hopes so.

* * *

 

”Where were you all?”

”Mom, do you remember there ever being a mine?”

”The Galra mine?”

They look at each other.

”That’s where we were? But wait-,” Lance is cut off by Pidge’s elbow.

”Yeah, mom. We know we shouldn’t have gone in there. You’ve always told us not to play inside but Keith swore he heard an animal crying, so...”

Mrs. Holt sighs and looks at Pidge through the rearview mirror, then Lance,”There’s time enough for a lecture at home. Right now let’s just worry about your friend.” 

 

It’s boring in the waiting room.

Keith was removed from Shiro’s room, partly because his id damned the whole ’brother’ thing, and partly because they couldn’t have anybody in the way while the operated. Keith hadn’t told them much other than the location and depth of the wound had the doctors on their feet.

Lance knows he isn’t sitting still. He can feel the nerves that are making his leg bounce. He wants to burst into proving his innocence but then he isn’t really convinced that he has any in this. It’s true that he watched the rock carve a gash across Shiro’s face. Lance hadn’t done anything but witness.

He can’t help but feel useless.

Pidge and Hunk are curled over her new Gameboy playing Pokemon. The cheerful tunes of Ash riding a bike are playing softly. Hunk is whispering and pointing at something on the screen. Pidge knocks his hand away. He holds out his palms in surrender.

Mrs. Holt went to get them some snacks.

Keith is watching his lap. Still. Quiet. It’s unusual and it’s unnerving. He’s hunched over like he wants to fold into a ball or that he can stare a hole in the floor to drop down.  Keith always broadcasts his emotion but it’s usually fire and passion and all much too much. This Keith is a Keith you may not notice is even there. He looks up a Lance and motions for Lance to sit next to him with a nod of his head. 

Lance tenatively makes his way there.

”It’s ok, sit down. I- Y’know, I don’t blame you. Not really,” Keith plays with his hands, it sounds like he’s speaking through tears, ”I just paniced.”

”Oh.” That wasn’t quite what he was expecting.

”I probably would’ve frozen too.”

”No you wouldn’t. You ran straight into that mine.”

”No, I wouldn’t. But- It’s ok, Lance,” he draws up to full height and turns to Lance, placing a soft hand on Lance’s shoulder, eyes shine vulnerable with tears, ”I know you didn’t mean it. You would’ve helped him if you could’ve.”

Lance reaches up and grabs tightly the warm hand. Beneath it all, Keith is soft, and terrified, and hurting. At least, that’s what he gleems from the sudden change in Keith’s demeanor.

Maybe this is what Shiro sees, he thinks.

”Keith, I’m sorry about Shiro.”

Lance squeezes Keith’s hand and reluctantly lets go.

 

The doctor comes out eventually, informing that they’ll need to keep Shiro overnight but the surgery on his nose went well. It’s hard convincing Keith to leave but somehow Pidge manages with bribing him to sleep over with the rest of them, the promise of visiting Shiro tomorrow the seal to the deal.

”I just think we shouldn’t be alone right now, yknow?” Hunk says as he rangles Keith in for a hug.

 

Mrs. Holt lets them set up the tent in their backyard. She ordered them take-out but they’ve chowed through the pad thai and moved on to the pizza rolls and orange tang.

As Lance bites into the courner of the square of molten deliciousness, to let it cool down, he’s grateful for the normalcy. Sitting on the patio furniture and looking out at the stars it’s a nice night. Maybe too nice.

”So,” Hunk drags out the vowel, ”Did you all feel that too?” 

Pidge who’s chugged through her tang reaches over and snatches Hunk’s. ”Yeah that weird tingle?”

Lance agrees. He tells them that Shiro seemed to feel it too. 

”Uh, Keith?”

They turn to him. He squirms in his seat and crosses his arms over his chest. His serving of the pad thai remains on the plate in front of him untouched. ”I heard a voice. Couldn’t understand the language.”

”You what?” Lance nearly knocks off his cup as he stands up. ”Quit yanking our chain.”

”Uh, dude. I mean, it’s not the weirdest thing- Like, remember,” Hunk lifts a small pebble from the yard and into his hand, ”We’ve got this whole thing going on. So. Yeah. If Keith says he heard a voice, let’s hear him out.” He waves at Keith to continue.

”That’s it. I just told you I couldn’t understand the language.” 

Pidge hums, her eyes squeezing in concentration, ”Well. If it were ’voices’ voices, I think they’d be speaking in something he does. Now, I think we can agree that something beyond us is happening. I’m not saying aliens, but, y’know, aliens. Regardless though, the real question is what do they want. And what about that mine?”

”Should we check the library tomorrow?” Hunk takes back his cup and gives Pidge the stink eye.

”Ugh, you two and your libraries, and books, and studying.” The last thing he wants to do is spend another day in books. 

”Do I need to remind you all that Shiro is out there, sliced open, while we sit here in this big yard eating carefree?” 

Lance winces.

”Yeah dude, we’re all upset over it. We just need to, like, figure stuff out, ya? So it won’t happen again. Because we can’t really do anything else right now.”

Lance tunes out the rest of what they’re saying. Guilt is roaring loudly inside him.

When they get settled in their sleeping bags, he turns to Keith, ”Listen... I.. I really am sorry about your boyfriend.”

”Boyfriend?” Keith he scrunches his brows in intense confusion, ”I don’t have a boyfriend.” He rolls over and falls asleep.

* * *

 

The morning news reports the mine’s collapsing, it spilled iron into the river, turning it red. It looks like blood. 

 


	3. I Flung it in the Fire To Burn with All the Others

”So, the uh, river,” Hunk grimaces down at the spoonfull of Oreo o’s and then shoves it in his mouth. His eyes are wide. Even as he chews he’s aiming his, ”We Fucked Up,” face at the cereal. 

It’s early, Lance is exhausted. They’re exhausted.

Lance feels exactly like the mood Hunk is acting out on his face. And just like Hunk, Lance cuts off any words with the sweet, sugary goodness in his bowl. 

Keith opted for some toast when Mrs. Holt had asked. ”Thank you, m’am. I don’t really feel like eating,” is what hetried but she wasn’t having it. 

”You’re a growing boy, dear. And you’re so thin already.” 

”I’m ok, Mrs. Holt.” Which, to anyone other than Keith, who hadn’t known Mrs. Holt, felt more like an attempt at starting anarchy than a polite turning down of food. Lance turned to Hunk, who had turned to Pidge, who had turned to Lance. Mrs. Holt’s next move was up in the air.

On the one hand, Keith was new. He’d just lived through his boyfriend being gored. His eyes are too big, too doe-like, to be perceived as threatening unless he’s angry. But then, Keith had just defied the unspoken rule of the house: never turn down food.

The Italian roots run deep through the Holt family. 

Lance decides Mrs. Holt is gearing up her stern talk and decides to intervene, ”It’s been a long night, Mrs. Holt. Keith takes awhile to wake up. Keith, how about you let her make you some toast? You can eat it when you’re ready.” 

Keith does not take well to stern and Lance could see the potential fight boiling like the beginning rumblings of hot water whistling in its kettle. So he looked to Keith. He pleaded with what he hoped were puppy eyes, for Keith to take the damn toast. 

He begged silently for Keith to accept the fib. 

”Ok,” he spoke quiet with that honeyed rasp that was more raw given the hour. 

Mrs. Holt popped two slices of bread into the toaster but not before giving Lance a knowing smile.

 

”-As if they’d do anything.” Pidge says.

Lance realizes he’s missed the entire conversation. But at least Keith has eaten a courner of his toast. He tunes them back out. He’s not much help with these things anyways. He doesn’t have a clue what happened at the mine or to the river.

Keith nudges his chin up towards Lance.

When he’s got Lance’s attention he taps his ear with his middle finger. ’You’re not listening,’ it says to Lance and then Keith draws his expression into confusion with those thick brows pressing the skin between them together, ’Why?’ and those plump, defined lips pull into a frown, ’You ok?’ 

Is Keith concerned about him? 

Lance isn’t sure how to convey subtle emotions like that.

’What did you mean last night when you said he wasn’t your boyfriend? I’m glad to see you eating though, but maybe at least finish the whole piece. You haven’t eaten since before we left to the forest yesterday. Who knows how long before that. Why are you worried about me?’ Is what he wants to say.

But he leaves it at a nod and a shrug. 

When they finish eating Pidge takes them upstairs and to the game room where there’s a large couch and a matching single chair. Pidge immediately flops down in the chair, maneuvering sideways so the arm rests are under her shoulders and her knees. ”Cartoon time!” She pumps her fist in the air and clicks through the channels. 

Hunk takes the end of the couch closest to Pidge. It leaves Keith and Lance to sit together. 

Lance plops down on the end so that Keith is bookended by him and Hunk. 

”What is this?” Keith leans over and whispers to Lance. 

”You’ve never seen Space Fighters?” Who hasn’t seen Space Fighters?

Keith, apparently. 

Lance explains what’s happening in hushed tones. Keith listens closely, angled in to Lance to hear him and eyes watching the tv wide, barely blinking. There’s a vulnerability in it. Keith doesn’t seem like he’s the adult stuck in a teens body in that moment. Rather he’s a kid excited by the explosions and fast action blinking on the screen.

He wants to ask Keith about it. Not now, but later. There are a lot of things he wants to ask Keith given all he’s seen in the course of the last two days. 

They’re startled when Mrs. Holt enters the room. ”Let’s get ready to go visit your friend.” 

”But mom, the episode-”

”-Katie Lucia Holt-”

”-Can absolutely wait. We’ll just catch the re-runs later.” 

Keith looks crestfallen, at least until it seems to click that they’re going to visit Shiro. He springs to his feet in a graceful move from his core.

He’s down the stairs before Mrs. Holt. 

Pidge fills her mom in who looks bewildered by Keith’s change in attitude. ”Shiro’s his best friend.” 

Lance turns to Pidge and then Hunk. There’s no wince or guilt on their faces. He can’t remember but he swore the Holts weren’t homophobic. So then why the lie?

On the way to the hospital he listens to the familiar sounds from Pidge’s gameboy. Keith doesn’t talk. Instead Keith watches out the window. Mrs. Holt hums to the song playing quietly on the radio.

It’s raining, when the forecaster swore the weather would be dry. But it’s entertainment enough for Lance to pass the time. 

Normally he feels a connection with the rain. Sometimes he’ll close his eyes and feel the sway of the pour or tap into an individual droplet that travels down the glass pane of whatever he’s watching it from. But he feels emptier right now. Quieter. There isn’t the same invigoration as usual. Instead he just feels cold and wet inside the warm car, dry as a sunny summer day. 

The walk up to the hospital is long.

The ground is slippery from the downpour and Lance trips a few times. If he’d just take it slower he knows he’d manage better but he wants to catch up to Keith who booked it as he always does. For a dark second, and Lance hopes it’s just the weather or the long night, he can’t help but feel like this was Keith’s fault to begin with. Always rushing in before thinking. But the thought leaves him as fast as it came and that’s a relief. Lance doesn’t believe that’s true for a second. 

He shakes his head and grips the handrail tightly. Whatever forces are at play, it’s their responsibility. 

Inside Pidge asks everyone to wait while she gets flowers from the giftshop. When she comes back she has a beautiful boquette that has the reduced pricetag on it. She grins and peels it off. ”They just needed a little tlc. I hope Shiro likes these kind.” She looks to Keith who nods and says that Shiro likes yellow. 

They stop by the front desk to get his room number. It must be that Keith is an emergency contact because the desk agent only responds when Keith gives his info. 

”Alright, let’s see,” she clicks through a few pages and types something in, ”Takashi Shirogane is in- Oh, it looks like he’s not allowed visitors right now.” 

Lance reaches out for Keith before he can react. 

”Lance, let go-” he tries to shrug Lance off but Hunk grasps Keith’s other shoulder so he turns back to the woman, ”What’s wrong with him? Why can’t we see him? He was fine yesterday, just in recovery.” 

”I’m sorry, sir, I can’t say anymore than that. If you’ll have a seat, I’ll page down a nurse who can explain it. But I’ll need to have you remain calm.” 

Keith purses his lips but nods. 

”Get off me, I’m fine,” he jerks hard against their grip and stomps over to a chair. 

The wait is uncomfortable.

They’re a small town and this is their only hospital so the staff to patient ratio is too little to too much. Sitting beside Keith is like sitting on an engine; he can feel the vibrations as it rears to go but this one is forced to stay in place. It’s enough to make Lance bounce his leg and try to find something for his hands to do. That same hum of energy from the mine is buzzing in him, too. He asks Hunk if he feels anything but Hunk shakes his head, ”Just, nerves, y’know?” 

The nurse comes out and delivers the news that there were unknown complications that came up overnight. They have him still in testing and aren’t sure what’s caused it. 

Keith’s face which is normally a healthy, sun-kissed brown is gray. He stumbles a little as he leaves them to sit back down. 

Lance first curses whatever the source of the buzzing is but then pleads for them to leave Shiro alone. Whether or not it’s listening, the feeling goes away. He looks to Keith and then to Hunk. Lance doesn’t know what to say. Or do. And Hunk’s never caused Keith to blow his top. 

Hunk squeezes Lance’s shoulder and goes to Keith. 

Mrs. Holt thanks the nurse for her time and turns to Pidge and Lance, scooping them up in a tight hug. She whispers an apology and assures them Shiro will be ok. Pidge drops the flowers and buries into her mom’s shirt. Lance breathes. Mrs. Holt’s perfume smells like fresh linen.

”Yeah,” he says, ”it’ll be ok, Mrs. Holt. Pidge. Shiro’s strong and he’d never let something like a rock take him down. He’ll be awake and laughing about it in no time.” 

* * *

Keith asks to be dropped off at Shiro’s apartment. ”My foster mom will pick me up later. No one’s home there right now, but Adam should be off today.” Mrs. Holt asks who Adam is and he replies, ”Shiro’s boyfriend. I don’t think anyone’s broke the news to him yet,” he scratches his head sheepishly, ”and it’s best he hear it in person, anyway.” 

Lance wants to ask. And almost does until he realizes it’s not the time. 

Mrs. Holt jots down her number on a paper from the small notepad she keeps in her console. She tells him to call if he needs anything. 

He thanks her and heads into the apartment without a glance back. The rain soaks down his hair from just the short walk from car to door. They leave when he’s inside. 

She drops Lance off next. 

”Thank you Mrs. Holt. I’m sorry we played in the mine,” he winces realizing Mrs. Holt probably called his mom and he’s about to be grounded. 

”I’m just glad you’re safe.” 

She feels like a second mom.

He leans forward and hugs her as best he can from the backseat. She chuckles which in turn makes him smile. ”It’ll be ok, Mrs. Holt.” He climbs out of the car and leaves them with a salute. They all return it with warm expressions. 

* * *

 

”Lance Jorge Serrano!” 

He’s barely a step into the kitchen when he’s rushed into a tight hug from his mom. She alternates between attacking him with kisses and making closed-mouth screams of frustrations. She slips into Spanish, in the way that only happens when she’s so frustrated that her native tongue is easier. He can’t really blame her for the lecture either. He always tells her everything. Even the mistakes. So to hear it second-hand is a sort of betrayal of trust. 

”Mamá,” he doesn’t get to finish before tears overwhelm him. I’m sorry, he thinks. I’m sorry for worrying you. I’m sorry for not being more careful. I’m sorry for not listening to whatever was telling me to stay away. 

”My boy, my wonderful, sweet, aggrivating boy,” she nearly crushes him in her arms, ”You are absolutely grounded and in charge of all your siblings’ chores. But I’m glad you’re safe. Now go clean your room, mijo.” She pats his cheek and pulls away. ”I’ll bring you up some of abuela’s hot cocoa with those little marshmallows you like.” 

She hands him a napkin from the table to wipe off his face, ”And clean up your face, it’ll make you feel better.” 

He does his best to clean up with the napkin. He’d just glad to be home. 

It’s always strange coming back to his home, his room, after big things like yesterday happen. It’s like the whole world has changed around him while he just went through points in time that he can never go back from and he’s somehow different and yet, coming home, everything is where he left it. 

From his collection of 2nd and 3rd place trophies on a shelf next to Veronica’s 1st places and other achievements, to his stack of notebooks and textbooks on the desk, and the hastily made bed, everything is where he left it. 

It feels like his room should be torn apart in the same way his mind is now. But it isn’t. And it never works like that. 

”Hot cocoa,” it’s his grandma’s voice from the other side of the door. Though calmed by her older age, she is still known from time-to-time to be a proud storm to which nothing can remain standing after. 

He opens the door with trepedation. 

”I heard Carmen and you. I don’t think you need a second lecture,” she hands him a mug that’s steaming and gives him a playfull look, ”No, I’m not here for that. Come, let’s sit.” 

She eases down to sit on the bed. Lance places the mug down and makes the move to help her but she waves him off. He sits in the rolling deskchair adjacent. 

It’s a moment of quiet. Purposeful quiet. He knows it’s not a matter of age because his grandma is sharper than about anyone in the family. When asked, she’ll say it’s the herbs and honestly Lance is starting to believe that. 

”Sometimes we lose sight of where we are and need to look back to find our way again.”

”Is that a Cuban proverb?” He takes a big sip of the cocoa. It burns his mouth but warms him. There’s no comfort like his grandma’s cocoa. 

”Just some advice from an old woman.” 

He hums. ”Am I meant to get it or?” 

She chuckles and the corners of her eyes wrinkle in carefree mirth. She reaches over to pat his knee, ”You’re in an important part of your life, where so much is changing and you don’t yet know who you are. It’s easy to lose your way.” 

He groans, ”oh my god, nana, please.” He twists away dramatically which makes the chair roll. He likes to pretend to be a rebellious teenager. His mom takes the act more serious, even if he loves her and would never be that way for real, but at least his grandma enjoys it.

* * *

 

Seeing his friends on Monday is hard.

The weight of Shiro's illness is heavy among them. They try to be cheerful and positive, especially Lance, but it's too much for them to crawl out under. Keith is snippier than usual in gym. When Lance asks Keith if he could bring the Book for the group to study later he bites that, "That's Shiro's. We'll get back to it when he gets home." Lance doesn't think Shiro will be getting home soon but telling that to Keith earns him a punch in the face.

He goes to the nurses office deciding to just say he tripped. No one saw them in the alley by the dumpster so he wants to let Keith go if he can.

The nurse accepts the excuse. Maybe too quickly. She hands him an icepack and points to a bed while shaking her head. Does she think he's so inept he can't figure out where the beds are?

He mentally grumbles about Keith the whole rest of the day.

At his last class the teacher reminds them to have their permission slips in for next week’s fieldtrip to the zoo. The bell rings and the other students are quick to flee the classroom.

”Aw man,” Lance moans to Hunk, ”I forgot about the zoo. My paper’s at home on my desk.”

”Dude, want me to call you and remind you?”

”Yeah. I doubt I’ll remember.”

Hunks nods and turns back around in his seat only to face Lance again a few seconds later, ”Wait, so, uh. I know it’s a sore subject but did you ask Keith? About the... y’know?”

Lance looks to the teacher who is busy with filing and putting papers in his bag. ”Well. I asked but Keith didn’t take it so well.”

”I knew I should’ve asked him myself.” 

”Hey, what does that mean?” Lance huffs.

”Oh, uh, no offense but you just have a thing for setting Keith off.”

”Thanks for the vote of confidence. And it’s not my fault he’s always so broody.”

”I don’t know, he never yells at me so,” Hunk shrugs and finally goes back to packing his bag, ”I mean, I’m just saying that maybe you could ask him nicer. Like maybe the problem you think he has with you is actually you having one with him.”

”Whose side are you on?”

”Both. Lance, I love you, man, but not everything’s a competition. You don’t have to agree now, or later, but at least think on it? I’ll call you later, bud.” He waves and makes a quick exit.

Lance mocks his, ”I’ll call you later, bud.” Because it’s the only thing he can do to deflect the blood-chilling sense of powerlessness and shame cascading down him. Hunk may not be right in everything he said but he’s right enough that Lance should’ve just accepted the feedback.

Of the few times Lance has seen Shiro receieve criticism there hasn’t been one where Shiro got angry. 

Which of course makes Lance angry.

Or maybe not, angry. Upset? Disappointed. At himself.

He should write a list of all the ways he’s not Shiro, then maybe, one-by-one, he could go down it and fix the things he needs to.

 

”Mr. Serrano, I have to lock the classroom.”

”Sorry, sir. I’m- I was just, uh, yeah. See you tomorrow,” he grabs at the papers on his desk and shoves them into the backpack. He has to zip, unzip, rezip, a few times for the zipper to stop catching on something. He wobbles to his feet and the chair screechs. A quick glance to the clock lets him know he’s gonna be late so he dashes out to the bus parking lot and just barely makes it on.

It’s raining on the ride home despite the forecast saying it would be clear.

* * *

 

”Mama, can we go to the library tonight?” It’s as shocking for Lance to say as it is for his mom to hear because she nearly drops the vase of flowers in her hands. 

”Uhm, welcome home,” she pauses and sets the vase down gently, ”Did I hear that right? My Lance wants to go to the library?”

”Yeah, yeah. I know. I just wanna check some newspapers.” He sets out his notebooks and textbooks on the dining room table.

”Is everything ok, mijo?” she moves behind him and hugs him from the side.

”I wanna find those papers with Shiro in it,” he sighs. He doesn’t really want to talk about it but his mom has a way of pressing things out of him.

”You sure you don’t want to just visit him?”

He doesn’t wanna see Shiro on the hospital bed unresponsive. He doesn’t wanna see Keith, no doubt beside Shiro. ”Yeah. I’m sure.”

His mom and he make some afterschool snacks. It’s a good distraction from starting homework.

He’s still eating when Hunk calls to remind him of the slip and tries to chat about the day. Hunk is just as surprised when Lance tells him about wanting to go to the library and having to cut it short. ”I just had a feeling, y’know?” Lance twirls the cord in between his fingers, ”I need to go see.” He wishes Hunk a good night and they hang up.

Lance tucks into his homework to give himself as much time at the library.

 

The library is quiet.

Not just the type of quiet where voices are hushed or people are settled into their own thoughts. It’s an empty quiet like the clear, moonless nights where the stars are hung in the sky, and that sky rolls on for miles and miles beyond where you head can track. Rather than the comfort of a universe filled it’s an expanse of distance and the feeling there are others out there, if only you could reach them. It’s not the library itself, Lance realizes as he steps into the dimly lit section that houses everything local.

Shiro’s been out for a day and already it feels like they’re all suffocating under the weight of it. 

Beneath his shirt the amulet is singing a gentle tune of warmth against his skin.

He looks behind himself to make sure that no one is around to see the glow. It’s just him. He raises a hand to it and feels the loop of energy from palm to elbow, elbow to shoulder, shoulder to chest, and amulet to palm. 

“I don’t know what you want,” he whispers, “but I think you led me here. Please, if there’s something I can do,” his closes his hand around it, “I just want Shiro back. Safeand unharmed, ok?”

The air folds against him as if it were being blown back and forth from a fan. He pulls tight the muscles of his back to keep from shivering.

“Ok,” he looks around in hopes to see something to guide him, a sign, an arrow, anything but all he sees are books and the dark sky outside. “I don’t get it. Can you… do that breeze thing in the direction I’m supposed to go?”

Something slips through him, cold. Then the air presses against his back at two points of equal size. Small but it pushes steady. It feels like palms.

He walks into the section he’s being lead. His feet kick up dust as he steps close to a lone table that has a pile of books and some newspapers strewn over it. One of the newspapers that catches his eye looks mostly blank except for the words, “Galra mines,” printed intermittenly across the page. He reaches out to it and flips through it. Those same words show up on every page in positions like there should be text around it.

He’s guided by a pressing against his hand to place it back on the table. 

The books are worn. Their spines cracked, folded, and ripped. Their pages are tarnished and in some cases ear marked. A layer of dust obscures the covers.

Lance moves aside the nearly blank newspaper to reveal one that has a picture of Shiro on it. He’s younger, probably Lance’s age, limbs longer than he knows what to do with. But he’s smiling a full smile where his cheeks press into his eyes. He’s mid-step of running into and breaking a ribbon. The headline reads, “Takashi Shirogane Wins Race with Olympic Qualifying Times.”

“I didn’t know you qualified for the olympics,” Lance says breathless as he cradles the paper up to read.

 

_Takashi Shirogane, 14, wins local track race with scores to send him to the Olympics, but illness, according to sources, may disqualify him from the sport all together._

_More on page 4_

 

“Shiro, you’re sick?”

“Lance?” It’s his mom.

He fumbles the newspaper which scatters the pages to the ground. He curses, “Sorry, I-” but when he bends to pick it up the presence lifts him upright and walks him out of the dusty courner.

“Lance, where were you?” 

He looks back and the dusty but in-tact courner has a water damaged ceiling with panes ripped apart and hanging off. Books are littering the floor with their pages open and spine cracked haphazardly. Faded yellow caution tape ropes the area off.

“I.. I was just- In the bathroom?”

She looks at him with a hard stare. Her arms are crossed tightly over her chest. “I see.”

He can never lie to her. He doesn’t want to lie to her.

“That was a long time in the bathroom.”

Anything. Anything but lying to his mom. His mom who was probably searching up and down the library for him, calling his name with increasing panic and desperation, his mom who understands and loves him and would do anything for him.

“Yesh, uh. Bad lunch.”

And he lies anyways.

* * *

 

The rest of the week goes much the same as Monday.

There’s the careful tiptoing around Keith, who actually starts joining them at lunch. He picks at the food and doesn’t talk but Lance is happy Keith isn’t isolating.

Even if it brings tension and uneasiness to the table.

There’s the check-in calls from Hunk and the status updates from Pidge, whose mom drives Keith down to the hospital. Hunk may be kind but he’s quick to let pessimissm get the better of him. Pidge goes from being either a tearful mess or a stern, cold, impenitrible barrier. From what Lance can tell, the two are going hard with their project. It makes him feel left out.

By the end of the week Lance convinces his mom to let him go hang out with the others. He successfully argues that he needs to be with them right now. Shiro’s condition hasn’t improved and staying inside is driving Lance nuts with worry.

Pidge’s brother, Matt, takes them down to the blockbuster to rent some movies.

“Dude,” Pidge waves around the thin blue case as she bounces over to Lance and Keith, who are looking through the action movies. “Look, look!”

“Attack of the giants from Mars, I forgot this came out on dvd already,” she hugs it to her chest, “Ok, I’m gonna go find Hunk.”

Keith chuckles. 

Lance’s instinct is to comment on it but he hasn’t seen anything close to a smile on his face the whole week. So he handles it like fragile glass. He watches it, takes in its beauty, but doesn’t touch it. “Didya find anything?”

Keith stills and his eyes widden. He must have forgotten Lance was there.

“Uh,” he removes a box from the shelf. The cover has a man in using some form of martial arts to fight off a group that’s surrounding him. The title is in a foreign language and has English in patanthesis, “Shiro likes to watch these. The dubbing is terrible so it’s more of a comedy.”

Glass, Lance reminds himself. Like. Glass. “Oh. That uh- Sounds great. I could use a laugh.”

“We all could. If it’s good we can rent it again for Shiro.”

Lance reaches a hand out to come atop Keith’s where it’s holding the case. “He’ll love a movie night.”

When Keith’s eyes meet his they’re soft and beautiful and shinning. Eye-contact is something Keith shies away from so it’s breathstealing when it happens. Their magic must be mixing where their hands are together because something is rushing through Lance’s veins. Keith blinks slow and his eyelashes are long as they sweep against soft, smooth cheeks. And his lips are parting gently. They’re pink and plump and- and when did he start to lean in? When did Lance? Oh, he can just smell Keith’s breath from here. Oh God wow, he’s- they’re-

“Keith? Lance? You decide- Oh. Hey, Pidge, they actually got something!” 

Lance jumps away and pats Keith on the back. “Yup! It’s one of those cheesily dubbed kung fu movies.” 

“Oh gosh, this is gonna be epic. I’m like, getting four tubs of popcorn and some pop rocks,” Hunk displays his catch proudly in front of him.

They get to the registers and Keith attempts to pay for his movie but Matt is not having it. Finally Matt takes the money and holds it high above. Keith for all his intimidation is short. He looks uncomfortable but Matt bends and whispers something that eases some of the tension off his face.

 

“These are new,” Lance comments on the five beanbag chairs resting on her floor.

“The inflatible ones are in my closet. Figured we’d try these guys. They’re a scoche less squeaky.” She dives onto one with her belly and groans but slides into a shape to support her. “These bad boys are allegidly industrial strength.”

Hunk lowers onto one but keeps his legs stiff, “What industry?” He braces his hands in front of him as he settles into it. It groans but the material (is that real leather?) doesn’t do much else.

Keith watches the chair on the end before moving to settle next to it.

“Oh no you don’t, Keith,” Lance gently guides him to the center chair, “No checking out on us, ok?”

Keith looks down at the chair. He tugs on the edge of his shirt and shifts his weight from leg to leg before deciding to sit down.

The four of them bicker over which movie to watch first. It’s Hunk that wins, “Listen, if we watch the romcom first then we’ll be sappy, the kungfu will cheer us up, and then we’ll all scare ourselves out of sleeping tonight.” No one can argue with that sound logic.

So it ends up being a late night where they all run through the full gambit of emotions. Keith cries to the romcom but snaps when Lance brings attention to it. The dub is exactly as crappy as they were hoping. Hunk nearly busts a gut laughing. Pidge is happy to shovel her face full of popcorn. And Lance watches Keith when he isn’t looking. Which is the whole time because Keith’s eyes are glued to screen and he reacts to it with his whole body from twitches to fidgets to tight fists.

When it’s time for bed and all their sleeping bags are laid out, Lance closes his eyes with an inner smile.

Just as he’s about to fall asleep he hears Keith shift and then whisper in his ear, “…That was kind of scary…”

Lance chuckles but gets a punch in the arm for it. “Ok, ok, sorry,” he pauses and the words hit him. Oh.

Oh.

“Keith?”

“Yeah?” His voice sounds even raspier when he’s whispering. There’s barely any substance to the sound. It’s said through a breathless exhale.

Lance’s entirely body roars to life, “Want me to hold you?” 

The little gasp Keith makes is nearly silent but it’s dangerous in Lance’s ears for all the things it makes him wanna do.

Lance opens his bag. Being one of Pidge’s it’s large enough to comfortably fit two. Keith wiggles in and zips it back up.

Lance has to close his eyes to relax as he feels Keith’s warm air tickle his neck. 

He’s grateful for the space inside because if Keith were pressed against him…

Sleep comes, eventually. But it’s far from being restful when it does.

They’re taken home as soon as they finish breakfast. Mrs. Holt says they have a lot of chores to do that day. She doesn’t bring up Shiro but that seems intentional. Even so, he notices that Keith is last to be taken home when normally Mrs. Holt goes to the furthest house first. Shiro’s apartment is on the entire other side of town.

Lance thanks her and goes straight up to his room, lucky that his mom wasn’t in the kitchen, and curls up on his bed for some real sleep.

* * *

 

He does his chores when he wakes up and takes a notebook with him on a walk to the park. 

The trees are almost completely red, orange, and yellow. It’s a beautiful shock of color against the overcast sky. There’s no one on the sidewalks on the way there and no one on any of the slides or swings when he arrives. An odd thing for a Saturday especially one without rain.

He sets down the notebook on the table beneath the pagoda just in case the rain comes and withdrawls the pen from his pocket.

“I’m not smart like you, Hunk. Or clever like you, Pidge. Keith, I don’t have your way of always finding a way. Shiro, I’m- I’m not you,” he comes down to sit on the bench. There’s little hope he’ll be able to figure any of this out. All of them combined couldn’t. Why him? Why would he be able to?

Because he needs to.

Lance touches pen to paper.

Whatever is going on, it’s something more than just this magic. It’s something to do with Shiro. Something not even Keith can see.

He scribbles in a bullet point and writes, ‘Something led me to the library’ and then indents and adds more, ‘Shiro,’ ‘Newspapers,’ ,’Old books,’ ‘Boyfriend => friend,’ ,’Keith,’ and then pauses.

‘Me?’ Why did it show this to him? Why not Keith?

He writes and writes and writes. The pen’s tip scratches against the surface of the paper, ink bleeding in its wake. It’s madness unleashed like water from a dam. The why’s, the what’s, the how’s, and the ‘maybe’s, fill page after after page. His arm becomes a mechanism for thought to be born inside the notebook. As chaotic the birth of a child, who comes into the world screaming.

It’s a gentle rumble of thunder that tears his mind away from itself and stills his hand.

“It’s.. raining?” He looks around in wonder. He didn’t feel it coming. 

He whispers an apology to it. Lets the energy of the water wrap around him in comfort and presence. He leans back and listens to its sweet tapping against the metal roof.

His conclusion was to get in touch with anyone who knows or knew Shiro, in their sleepy town. Meaning he’ll have to go to the apartment, hope that Keith isn’t there, and talk to Adam. And then he’ll have to convince Iverson to talk about Shiro and his track days. Both make him apprehensive. But it’s all he’s got.

The rain lets up quick to Lance’s surprise. Rain is usually long lasting up where they are.

He makes sure to be home before dark.

* * *

 

Monday comes.

“Dude, you ready to totally get our zoo on?” Hunk swings an arm around Lance’s shoulders. He’s decked out in a floppy boater’s hat and brown curdoroy pants.

They’re standing around waiting for the buses to arrive and the teachers to load everyone on them for the fieldtrip.

Keith hasn’t shown up yet. Adam might be taking him directly there.

“Yeah?”

“Du. De. You ok? You love the zoo.”

“Just tired.”

“Does someone need the hat?” He peels it off his head and waves it.

“No, god, you keep that fashion tragedy to yourself.”

Hunk drapes a hand over his heart and gasps too loud to be serious, “You wound me. I thought we were friends.”

Pidge jumps in, “Yo Hunk, don’t cramp his style. Look at his sweet windbreaker. You can’t just combine that hat with that jacket.”

“Ah ok but, says the girl with a bedazzled vest.”

Pidge flexes her nonexistent biceps, “Yeah, gotta show off ‘the guns’, y’know. I’m born to be wild, yadda yadda.”

Lance snorts. “What you lack in style, you make up for in kicks.” Seriously, her footwear is rad.

“Pidge, don’t encourage him. Please. Now let a man don his sun protective gear in peace.” He tightens the chinstrap.

“Hey, have you two seen Keith?”

They both shrug. Pidge suggests what Lance is thinking, that Adam is gonna drive Keith there. “You know how late he always is.” Yeah.

 

Seeing Adam outside of Shiro’s apartment, where Lance had it all planned out to see him there, is unnerving. Both because it feels like he doesn’t belong there and because it’s literally made Lance lose his nerve. He swallows all the questions he has and tries not to let the guilt of eventually bringing Shiro up sour the day. Which is hard enough when Adam apologizes to them, saying that Shiro was meant to be here as the chaperone.

Lance excuses himself to the bathroom and splashes ice cold water on his face. It’s minimal in its help to soothe the burning ache but it’s time enough to compose himself.

Keith declares that he wants to see the penguins first and then the hippos.

When pried for more info he sheepishly whispers, “I heard there’re two boy penguins who- they’re a mated pair.”

Adam smiles at Keith and says it’s a great idea.

So they all follow Keith who is bouncing with his steps over to the penguin exhibit.

Lance’s heart is racing watching Keith light up as they see the two penguins. One of them is a large emperor and the other is a small adelie. The keeper chats with the group a little. Normally the two different species would be kept separate, if only because Adelies stick to the warmer coasts where Emperors are typically towards the pole. But the little Adelie was vicious and only calmed down around the Emperor. They’ve even been given an egg to brood.

It’s very large for the Adelie but still he’s tucked over it.

“They’re good parents,” Adam says, “Penguins. That little one is warming and guarding their egg, while the big guy goes fishing for their meal.”

Keith hums an agreement and presses his hands and face to the glass.

They continue to watch the penguins until the big one returns and begins to mount the small one.

“Woah, nature, amirite?” Lance chuckles and whoops at the pair.

Keith’s cheeks are burning and he’s chewing his bottom lip.

“Hey, Keith,” He lowers his voice so only Keith can hear, “It is nature. It’s natural. Nothing to be ashamed of.” 

Keith mutters a soft thanks and wipes his eyes with his sleeve.

If it were then Lance would be in big trouble for his feelings lately. But he doesn’t tell Keith that. There’s no polite way for him to say, ‘I’ve been dreaming of touching you,’ and that would be the exact way it’d come from Lance’s mouth. So he settles for a light brush of fingers along the back of Keith’s neck.

Keith lets out a sigh.

They move on to the hippos next.

The thing about being teamed up with the other three is that his grade is gauranteed to end up good enough to cover for a few of his lower score assignments. But he has to suffer their intelligence.

It’s hard enough to remember stupid things he isn’t gonna use, like what habitat the ring-tailed lemurs prefer, or the pelicans place in the ecosystem, but especially so when there’s too much on his mind.

If he’s gonna be fourth wheel then at least he’s gonna enjoy it. He lets them all figure the answers for the worksheet.

Adam must notice Lance checking out because he comes over. 

“Everything alright? I notice you’ve been lagging behind everyone these past few exhibits. I, uh, know we don’t know each other well, but I’ve heard about you from Shiro. He likes to talk about your whole group. But I think he’s really proudest of you.” 

Lance decides that if he can’t ask directly then maybe he gleen something from Adam anyway. “Uh, oh, he does? He sure is great. I’m glad we met him. Hey, oh, how did you meet him?”

Adam nods his chin towards a bench, “C’mon, let’s sit down. They’re not going fast so we can just catch up with them in a bit.”

“I do mean it. I know compliments can be hard to accept but at least know that it’s the truth,” he waits, looking at Lance, and continues when Lance nods, “As for where we met? Well, it’s a small town. But I don’t have to tell you that,”

“Shiro and I were in the same class. There wasn’t a GSA back then so it was… Well, when you did find someone, you tried a relationship as soon as you met. So we did.”

“Wait, just like that? But what if you don’t like each other?”

“Yeah that’s a risk. Good thing it ended well for us.”

Lance stiffens and his hand itches to grab for his pen, to take down Adam’s exact words, but he doesn’t know how to do it without coming across as suspicious. “Yeah, it really… worked out, huh?”

“He’s a great man. I- excuse me, sorry. It’s just hard right now. Well, anyways. If you need to talk, I’m here. None of us can be him but we can do our best to make due.”

 

They come back to the others after a few moments composing themselves.

“-Just don’t get it. These animals would otherwise not survive in the wild. If only they could understand them like I can.” 

“Yeah well, what can you do? ‘Actually, I have magic powers that connect me with nature and these tigers are just enjoying the sunshine right now’. Oh, hey Lance, Adam.”

“Yo, ‘sup?”

“Just some young punks trying to say that zoos are bad. As if they know what they’re talking about,” Pidge throws up her arms and huffs. 

“You tell them, o’ wise elder, Pidge.” 

Pidge wags her finger at Lance but then draws to attention.

The tigers perk up. 

“Pi-”

“Sh!” Pidge shushes Lance while angling her ear towards the enclosure.

The monkeys can be heard howling from a few exhibits over. Pidge must hear it clearer because she squeezes her eyes shut and clutches her head. A greenish glow can seen even beneath her coat,

“Hh- Too many- All… At once,” Pidge strains the words out her teeth baring in a grimace that reveals them clenched tightly.

Hunk and Lance make for her but Keith dashes in front of her blocking them with his arms spread out wide. “Space. Now.” They look to each other then back at Keith and then each other again. They both nod.

The animals all around them make noise. The tigers are growling and pacing now. Even the birds that are flying overhead are squacking and chittering. 

The people around them are starting to aggitate. Babies are crying in their strollers. There’s talk of animals going rogue. That maybe an earthquake is on its way. Some are dashing towards the entrance, while others are standing still waiting much like Pidge for something to happen.

“Hunk?” Lance whispers. Earthquake? He motions to the ground and then moves his arm in a wave.

Hunk points to his chest but there’s no light there. He shakes his head. And points to Lance, raising an eyebrow in question.

No, he gestures, it’s not water. 

Lance looks to Keith. 

Keiths head is turning back and forth like he’s waiting for something. No- His eyes aren’t focused. His eyebrows have bunched the skin between and raised it. He’s leading with his ears. He’s listening.

But for what?

His amulet is glowing.

Then Lance feels it. The pressure building up somewhere. It’s unnatural. The force of it is great, too great for Lance to have not felt it accrue that much energy. It gets caught on something. Something big. It’s churning Lance’s stomach as he gets the sensation of both being pulled apart and slammed together at once. He can’t shift his focus away from it. All he hears are the cries of the animals becoming deafening. Then people are screaming too.

He doesn’t remember closing his eyes but his vision blacks as the pain crests.

It troughs as water rains down, shocking him.

“Wha..?” He opens his eyes to see the overhead sprinklers dousing the park.

“Lance! Come help me. Keith and Pidge haven’t moved.” Hunk grunts as he yells out to Lance. He’s trying to reach Pidge but there must be some invisible forcefield around them because he’s banging on air.

He’s bumped into by a few people as he moves towards Hunk. It’s a stampede around them. A voice is speaking over the intercom asking people to calmly make their way towards the exit. It says something about lions and subdued but Lance can’t make the rest out over sound of people running by and screaming. When he reaches Hunk and the other two, there’s no sign of Adam.

Keith and Pidge are motionless, in the same position he last saw them in.

“What’s wrong? I spaced out- There was this pressure and BOOM and then I couldn’t see and then now we’re soaked?”

“All three of you just sort of… froze. Dude, I don’t know what’s going on but I heard something about a fire and then the sprinklers came on.”

“Do you think this… them?”

“I’m trying not to think what I’m thinking. The last time-” 

“-unk,” Pidge gasps out, clutching her throat in one hand and reaching out to Hunk as she wobbles on her legs. Keith crumples to all fours with a hoarse groan.

Lance steps next to Keith and lowers to his knees. He hovers a hand over Keith. He’s not sure if Keith will welcome the contact or if it will shoved away. 

Keith babbles about magic and paralysis. His eyes are wide and he looks up with a disoriented gaze that has trouble staying on Lance.

Pidge doesn’t sound like she’s faring much better.

After a minute where everyone seems to catch their breath and there’s no longer people around them they make their way out of the exhibit. 

They pass through the area with the lions’ den and understand what the panic was for.

A crew of firefighters and paramedics are tending to people with various wounds. Lance tries not to focus on any one person too long because he doesn’t want to see the types of injuries that would produce the amount of blood on the floor and around the walls. The step careful around the scene. Further up are two lions who aren’t moving and not just because several men are holding them down. He hopes they’re just sleeping. The blood trails right to them.

When they step outside the zoo they’re greeted by some teachers who look like they could hug the group. They call into the walkie-talkies letting the others know that the students are safe.

Adam comes over in a half run. He crushes the four together in a hug, and cycles through, “Oh god,” and , “I was so worried,” as squeezes them all.

The five join up with the rest of class and the teachers take attendance three times. Everyone, thankfully, gets accounted for. 

Adam decides it’s best that Keith stay with his classmates and that he’ll pick Keith up from wherever, whenever he’s ready. Surprisingly Keith doesn’t argue but instead tells Adam to drive safe.

The four remain quiet on the ride to the school while the other students talk loudly about what happened.

There’s another flash rainstorm.

The school lets students get picked up early if they wish. Hunk, Lance, and Pidge convince Keith to let them go to the apartment. They decide in hushed tones that it’s time they brought out the Book that Shiro’s been using to teach them. Even Keith agrees that it’s time. They’re not sure if they’ve caused what’s happened but there must be a reason they were given the amulets.

Keith makes the phone call to Adam.

He picks them and they head into the apartment.

 


End file.
